Portable disposable and rechargeable batteries, and particularly alkaline batteries, are used as a power source for powering a large number of electronic devices. Such batteries rely upon a chemical reaction for the generation of power and use an alkaline electrolyte, such as potassium hydroxide, rather than an acid composition. As the batteries discharge, such as through usage in powering a device or in gradual discharge scenario, the chemistry of the battery element changes. More specifically, hydrogen gas is generated as a by-product by the active battery. The hydrogen gas that is generated increases the pressure inside the housing of the battery. In leakage scenarios, the pressure becomes so great that it creates a significant strain on the battery housing or other elements of the battery. As such, the pressure may rupture an insulating rubber seal at a terminal end of the battery or the outer metal canister of the battery, or both.
The leakage also includes the liquid alkali potassium hydroxide material in the battery, which is a particularly corrosive liquid that attacks and destroys metal elements that it contacts. The leakage forms a white fluffy powder of potassium carbonate that typically will appear at the end of the battery representing the negative (−) terminal. Usually such leaking material in liquid form can travel all over the battery chambers and elsewhere within the interior of an electronic device. The corrosive effect of the potassium hydroxide can be particularly destructive to the conductive element of the device, such as the copper traces that are positioned on the printed circuit boards of the device as well as exposed electronics. Often the discharge is significant and corrosive enough to destroy the functionality of the electronics of the device, rendering the device unusable. Also, the corrosive effect of the discharge may attack and damage the plastic housing of the electronic device that forms the battery compartment. Accordingly, the damage of leaking batteries can be significant.
Battery leakage damage is often inevitable as many electronic devices, such as radios, flashlights, etc are often only used periodically and then stored away for long periods of time with the batteries still inside. Leakage will eventually occur. Alkaline batteries will also gradually self-discharge over time. Such self discharge occurs both while the batteries are sitting on a shelf or are installed in a device. Over time the dead or discharged batteries will leak. The process of gradual drainage of power from batteries that are not in use is slower than for those batteries that are in use inside of a device. More specifically, in use, batteries will often discharge due to small trickle current drainage or parasitic current drainage that still occurs even if a device is powered off. Furthermore, many existing electronic devices have active circuitry that must be powered, and thus those devices will draw current from the battery even when the device is powered off. Therefore, portable devices that use alkaline batteries have features that slowly discharge batteries, even when the devices are left unattended and unused, and if left unattended for long periods of time, the drained or dead batteries will eventually leak. Furthermore, such leakage can also be accelerated if the battery environment experiences high temperatures, such as sitting in a hot car during the summertime.
Accordingly, electronic devices using alkaline batteries are always at risk for battery leakage and eventual damage. Depending on the device, the can result in significant monetary loss if the device is rendered unusable and has to be replaced. While removing the batteries is an option each time a device is turned off and stored away, such a step is often impractical since you will need a power source once you want to use the device again. Always having new batteries at the ready to insert into each device also is not a particularly viable option. Even if they are removed and stored adjacent the device, they can still leak and be rendered unusable, even if damage to the device is avoided.
Therefore, it is desirable to prevent the damage done and inconvenience and expense of leaking batteries. There have been considerable efforts made to try and improve batteries and prevent leakage damage by improving the overall construction and sealing features of the battery. However, such solutions have proven generally unsuccessful. Batteries still leak and cause damage. Accordingly, there still remains a significant need for a way and solution to prevent damage from stored alkaline batteries that eventually will leak, usually inside the chambers of the electronics that they power.